Cabin Crew Luggage
 

A pet peeve of mine, and wondering if it's just me...

We've all noticed that since the advent of HBO fares that over head locker space is hugely over subscribed. I usually sit in row 1 to allow me easy and fast escape when we land, but I've noticed that the front of the plane is always the busiest (on domestic flights) and given you can't put luggage on the floor there is much demand for the front locker.

Now what really winds me up is when I get on board first/early only to find that cabin crew have put there wheelie bags in the front row overheads. Why? They are last off, and there's an assortment of other wardrobes and lockers they can put their gear into. Or they could check it in like they insist other fare paying customers do.

It may seem a small and trivial thing, but having to grab your bag from a row or 2 back when landed is just more grief I could do without.

Am I alone in this frustration...?

Does seem to be their convenience over the passengers. But it would be good to hear a crew view.

A recurring comment/complaint here.

Whilst I have been a little inconvenienced as well, and have often used the space above row 2, much to the consternation of row 2, etc I do understand that the cabin crew would prefer that their bags are nearby.

Not sure there is a mutually agreeable solution, although IME, the cabin crew often move their bags to somewhere else if space allows.

And a pet peeve of mine... People who the say thing like:

In the vast majority of out stations, the crew don't get off. There is no loose loading of baggage, so all containerised and will go off to baggage reclaim. OR, if the crew ARE getting off the aircraft at a destination for a crew change, they don't exit the airport via the same route as the "fare paying customers" do. Geneva, Berlin, Rome, Milan to name a few, the crew get taken to a completely different part of the airport to exit through a completely different section of the airport. So, no, they are not going to check their bags in because they won't see them again.

I agree that they should not place them above row 1, and I never did. However, reasons for short haul crew taking their bags into the cabin are far more reaching than just to p+ss off passengers.

I think AA are far worse. The number and size of bags toted around by their CC beggars belief.

TO be fair, the crew will usually move bags into the wardrobe or cockpit if needed to towards the end of boarding. Pressure on the forward-most lockers has been reduced slightly with FLY's new seating algorithm leading to some blocked seats (space permitting), usually at the front of the plane!

No.....it isn't just you :)

Reminded me of this quite amusing incident/accusation last year when boarding at NCL.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25704733-post143.html

Sorry BBB- I didnt mean to offend.

However, I'm clearly not the only one and that's at least a little reassuring although perhaps an indication that I'm on the path to becoming a 'DYKWIA'... :-(

This also used to annoy me but I must admit it does seem to have improved recently.

If the crew don't get off, then what do they need a large bag for? genuine question. My wife is a train guard and when she works an out and back shift, she leaves her big bag at the booking-on point (or in her car) and boards with her jacket and handbag only (and ticket machine), works for 2 or 3 hours, has a short break in the staff mess room (toilet, cup of tea) and then comes back to her starting point.

Does she wear high heels and a hat to greet passengers, then flats and no hat during the trip, and then back into heels and the hat when the passengers get off?

Not quite, but she does have extra clothing and personal equipment to carry - Hi Vis jacket and Bardic lamp etc. Doesn't need a massive roll-on for that. Mind you, neither of us have ever understood why any able bodied person would want to encumber themselves with a set of wheels. We are clearly in a minority though.

Crew always carry a night stop kit with them, nothing worse then an unscheduled night stop with no clothes, it can a has in my experience lead to fund and games. :eek:

The crew may also be at the start or end or during a euro tour, where they don't go home in between. The crew may not get off in say MAN, but when they get back to LHR they could be then flying off to PRG for the night. Euro tours can be 3 nights away from base, hence why larger trolley style cabin bags are often carried. They may also have been called from airport standby, which again will result in larger bags.

Regards
D1L

While I agree that crew bags should not be placed above row 1, (I always place mine towards the rear of CE), i think this needs to be put into context.

The flightdeck, the wardrobe and service carts are NOT approved stowages for wheelie bags. However, the pressure that we are under commercially to get the flight away on time can lead to us 'find solutions' towards the end of boarding. I always complete a cabin safety incident report when I have to 'find solutions' when it comes to hand baggage stowage, and 100% of the time, it is in the interests of not inconveniencing our customers. The vast majority of us want to help you, so when we do it day in, day out, without the majority of you appreciating what we are doing, the odd row 1 complaint, I think we can live with. Heck, you could even have a polite quiet word with the crew and just explain how difficult it makes things when they stow above row 1. Just a thought.

Kind regards

BA.MF.CSM